At our museum, a previous administrator accepted items without regards to whether or not we could care for them.  In fact, the administrator accepted just about anything that came along.  This is not only inefficient in terms of storage and care of the objects at the museum but it is a show of bad faith to the donor if you accept something that you will, through neglect and lack of funds, steadily destroy or damage.  Many things in our collection were damaged by pests because we did not have a pest management policy what so ever.  Luckily, the donor is no longer living and, therefore, cannot complain about the condition of their donation.  Although that wouldn't stop heirs from complaining if the donor had any.
 
In some cases, a donor (such as a large institution) may require proof that you can care for the object and protect it before they donate it to you.  For the most part, this usually occurs with loans but is not unheard of with donations.  
 
Its a sticky situation with some easy and some very complicated answers.  Hope this adds a little to your research.
 
Meredith
 
Virginia Beach Historic Houses
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
________________________________

From: Museum discussion list on behalf of Stephanie Rohwer
Sent: Fri 12/8/2006 3:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Advice Needed



I am a graduate student at Tufts University and I'm working on my final
paper assignment for a class I'm taking.  The assignment requires me to ask
question and then use research to support an answer to that question.  My
question is:  "What course of action should a museum take if it is presented
with an object that meets its mission, but it is an object that the museum
can not properly care for."  I'm looking for any advice anyone can give me. 
I know this situation has come up countless times, so if anyone is willing
to share their experiences, I would really appreciate your help.

Stephanie Rohwer

_________________________________________________________________



=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).